Aspire Community Capital

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471562918
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2017
Location
Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone
7047771122
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$549,724
Expenses
$788,592
Assets
$298,362
Liabilities
$69,791

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Manuel Campbell (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Manuel Campbell (CEO): $105,677 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Radically Transforming Lives and Communities through Business Ownership

What it reported doing in 2024

ASPIRE Community Capital delivered a continuum of programs during the fiscal year designed to strengthen the financial capacity of underestimated entrepreneurs. Our programming equipped small business owners with the knowledge, tools, and individualized support needed to make informed financial decisions, improve operational stability, and progress toward capital readiness.WorkshopsASPIRE delivered a series of interactive financial literacy and business education workshops in partnership with trusted ecosystem organizations. These sessions equipped partner cohorts with foundational skills in budgeting, cash flow management, pricing, and financial decision-making.BootcampsThe organization conducted intensive programs, including the Access to Capital Bootcamp and the Business Planning Bootcamp, which guided entrepreneurs through developing business plans, building financial forecasts, and preparing to pursue capital. These programs strengthened participants operational capacity and competitiveness in capital markets.CoachingASPIRE provided one-on-one coaching and technical assistance to help entrepreneurs apply program concepts, implement financial systems, and strengthen decision-making processes. Coaching supported participants in tracking key metrics, improving financial practices, and advancing toward sustainable growth and capital readiness.Collectively, these programs advanced ASPIREs mission to build better borrowersentrepreneurs who are confident, informed, and positioned for long-term success.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 14
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 70.8%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -43.5%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.38; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.4%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 22.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 23.4% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 70.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $558K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $106K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.